So I recently made some tweaks to my eating that have reaped awesome rewards for my success in toning up! (I am down nearly 5 lbs. and 1 inch on my waist, 1 inch on each thigh, and 1 inch on my hips!!) One of them was to eat no carbs after 4 p.m. per 21 Day Fix creator, Autumn Calabrese. The reason this works for me is that I am an early-morning exerciser. I wake up at 5 a.m. most days and crank out usually two Beachbody workouts (lately it’s been a mix of Core de Force, Hammer & Chisel, and 21 Day Fix Extreme). Previously I’d been waiting until lunch to have my first carb and that, well, didn’t work so well! I found myself binge-ing before lunch and completely shattering all of my progress. So now, I eat my carbs early in the day at breakfast and lunch simply because my body needs that fuel! (Want to see what my tweaks have done for me? See, below!

(Want in on my next 30-day challenge where I can share ALL of my nutrition tweaks and weekly meal plans to help get toned up and lose the last 5 to 10 lbs.? Then click here!)

Which brings me to –>> what the heck do I eat for dinner then? After all, I was so used to eating a carb at dinner I wasn’t sure what to do. I mean, I couldn’t envision eating a protein and steamed veggie every night. How boring! So I started looking into veggies that feel like carbs. Enter, the winter squash! Butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash!! These soon became my BFFs because when I eat them I truly feel like I’m eating pasta or potatoes. And, hence, my mindset switches and I feel full eating them!

So when I saw this recipe for Spicy Acorn Squash with Feta, I knew it had my name written all over it!

Without further adieu, here is the recipe! Mind you, this is really not that spice at all. I don’t even find it spicy at all. I will say, though, that the smoked paprika is a must. Do not use regular paprika as the smoky flavor truly makes these amazing!